Fire alarm-actuating means



Nov. 9, 1937. R. B. BUKOLT 2,098,532

FIRE ALARM ACTUATING' MEANS Filed Aug. 15, 1956 mi. T51;

Patented Nov. 9, 1937 UNITED STATES 2,0as,53z

PATENT OFFECE Application August 13,

4 Claims.

The invention relates to fire alarms and analogous thermal alarms in which rapid expansion of a fluid (preferably a liquid) is relied upon to move an actuator'which closes a switch or otherwise actuates an alarm of either visible or audible nature.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a simple and inexpensive, yet an efficient and reliable alarm actuating means which will not be affected by expansion of the fluid due to ordinary temperature changes, but will instantly operate when any rapid expansion of the fluid occurs, due to a sudden rise in temperature, caused for instance, by fire.

Another object is to provide an actuating means which is well adapted for connection with a telephone circuit to transmit a message to the operator at the central station, so that she may phone the fire department headquarters or local fire engine house, giving the phone number of the property on which the alarm was given. Then, by use of a suitable directory indexed according to phone numbers, the address of the property can be quickly determined.

Other objects are to provide an alarm-actuating means which is vibration-proof and will not therefore operate due to sudden jars or vibrations; to provide an actuating means having no adjustments and hence incapable of maladjust- 30 ment; and to provide an actuating means which will not continue to give an alarm for an indefinite period but will cease to operate in a short period of time, usually about ten minutes which is ample time for the alarm and will not interfere materially with telephone communication after the alarm ceases. When the invention is installed on premises served by a party telephone line, the message transmitted over said line may be coded by a conventional coding machine, leaving no possibility of the fire apparatus responding to the wrong address.

With the foregoing and minor objects in view, the invention resides in the novel subject matter hereinafter described and claimed, description being accomplished by reference to the accompanying drawing.

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the alarm actuating means, the major portion of the hydrostatic tubing or the like which contains the expansible fluid being omitted.

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view on line 22 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a top plan view.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view through the cylinder-and-piston-assembly and 1936, Serial No. 95,922

associated parts, the piston of said assembly con stituting an actuator for the alarm when moved upwardly by rapid upward flow of the expanding fluid in the cylinder.

Fig. 5 is a detail vertical sectional view through the filling and vent plug for the fluid reservoir into which the fluid discharges from the cylinder, on line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

I provide a cylinder-and-piston-assembly Ii] Whose piston ll normally occupies a position at one end of the cylinder I2 and constitutes an alarm actuator when moved toward the other end of said cylinder. A container l3 for the thermally expansible fluid communicates with the end of the cylinder 12 at which the piston II is normally located, said container l3 preferably consisting of an arterial tube located in the zone or zones to be protected. The expansible fluid, which as above stated, is preferably a liquid, may well be carbontetrachloride which will not ignite and has a boiling point of F. and will not solidify until a temperature of 13 below zero F., has been reached. However, most any fluid or liquid of satisfactory nature may be used. In the present disclosure, the cylinder !2 is disposed vertically and the piston II is biased toward and held normally at the lower end of said cylinder by gravity. However, it is of course possible that the cylinder could be otherwise positioned and it is obvious that an equivalent of gravity, such as a light spring, could be employed to bias the piston toward and hold it in its normal position.

During ordinary or normal temperature rises, the fluid in the container I3 flows gently in the cylinder I2 of the cylinder-and-piston-assembly l0, and said assembly is provided with a bypass which permits this gently moving fluid to pass freely around the piston l l without operating the latter, but said by-pass is sufficiently restricted to prevent it from freely carrying fluid past the piston when said fluid flows rapidly in the cylinder l2, due to sudden expansion under an abnormal temperature rise, the result being that the rapid surge of the fluid will actuate the piston I l to bring the alarm into play.

In the present disclosure, the by-pass of the assembly I!) for conducting the gently flowing fluid around the piston II, is formed simply by making the piston of sufiiciently small diameter to fit loosely in the cylinder l2, the small space between the two indicated by the lines l5, constituting the aforesaid by-pass.

The end of the cylinder l2 toward which the piston II is moved by rapid flow of fluid in said cylinder, preferably communicates with a reservoir i 6 mounted in any preferred way, for instance, upon a wall bracket ll. In the construction herein shown, the upper end of the reservoir it is provided with a filling plug [8 and said plug is formed with a small air vent I9 having a suitable air filter 2B of wool, felt or the like. The liquid discharging from the cylinder I2 is received in the reservoir it as the liquid in the container it expands under temperature rises, and as the temperature again lowers, the liquid returns from the reservoir into said container l3, the cylinder-and-piston-assembly in having provision to allow such return. In the present show ing, the return. flow of liquid occurs through the by-pass i5 and under the piston H, the lower end of said piston being provided with lugs l8 preventing it from seating fluid-tightly against the bottom of the cylinder and therefore preventing it from interfering with the return flow of liquid.

In the present disclosure, the upper end portion of the cylinder l2 passes through a portion of the bracket ll! and the bottom 2| of the reser-. voir it, said cylinder being provided with a shoulder 22 and with a nut 23 for clamping it tightly in place. 2 1 merely indicates solder to prevent possible leakage under the nut 23 and between this nut and the portion of the cylinder I2 engaged thereby.

While the movement of the piston ll affected by the rapidly expanding fluid, may be utilized in any preferred manner to operate the alarm, I prefer that said piston movement close a switch 25 to operate said alarm. In the present disclosure, this switch comprises three contacts 2%, 2i and 28 all fixedly mounted, and a movable contact 29 in the form of a disk yieldably mounted at M upon a rod 3! which is engaged with the piston l l. The contacts may well be housed in an insulating casing 32 mounted upon the top as of the reservoir it. The piston H is preferably of bucket-type and loosely receives the lower end of the rod 3 l, which end is preferably pointed at 33 and rests in a conical seat 34 in the piston bottom or head, so that the movement of the rod cannot cause any binding or excessive friction between the piston and the cylinder.

The normal liquid level in the reservoir It is above the upper end of the cylinder l2 to constitute a liquid seal for said cylinder and the tubing or the like It. Another alarm actuator 38 is provided in operative association with the reservoir it to operate when the liquid level in said reservoir is either abnormally high or abnormally low. In case of a break in the fluid-containing means l3 at a point above the reservoir l6, admitting air to said means [3 and causing gravitation of liquid into'said reservoir, the actuator 38 (a float in the present disclosure) rises, closing the switch 39 to operate a buzzer or the like. In case of any injury to the liquid-containing means 83 at a point below the reservoir 56, allowing drainage of liquid from said reservoir, the float 38 descends and again closes the switch 39 to operate said buzzer or the like.

I have shown the switch 39 consisting of two upper contacts H, two lower contacts 42 and a movable intermediate contact 43 carried by a stem 5 i connected with the float 38. A suitable insulating housing 65 is shown for this switch, mounted upon the reservoir top 33 at one side of the housing 32 of the switch 25.

From the foregoing taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, it will be seen that novel and advantageous provision has been made for carrying out the objects of the invention. While certain specific features of construction have been herein illustrated and described, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is illustrative rather than limiting and that numerous variations may be made within the scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

3.. In a fire alarm apparatus, a reservoir, a liquid-containing line, communicating means between said line and reservoir, an alarm-operating memer operatively associated with said communicating means and biased against operation except under impact of a rapid surge of liquid through said ccmmunicating means caused by abnormal expansion of the liquid in said line, said reservoir being of sufficient capacity to hold all liquid flowing thereto from said line to save said liquid for return through said communicatin means to said line, said communicating means being connected with said reservoir at such a point as to be sealed by the liquid in said reservoir, preventing air from entering said line, the whole providing an automatic liquid-surgedactuated alarm apparatus which is self-conditioning for further operation unless injured in the preceding operation.

2. In a fire alarm apparatus, a liquid-containing line, an alarm-actuating cylinder-and-pistonassembly having a bypass around its piston through which liquid flows freely around said piston when entering the cylinder of said assembly from said line under normal temperature changes, said by-pass having insufiicient capacity to freely carry the rapidly flowing liquid forced from said line under abnormal temperature rise, whereby this rapidly flowing liquid will actuate said piston, and a reservoir in communication with said cylinder for receiving the liquid flowing therethrough from said line, said reservoir having suflicient capacity to hold all liquid forced from the line by maximum liquid expansion, whereby the liquid is saved in said reservoir for return to the exhausted line through said cylinder-and-piston-assembly, said cylinder communicating with said reservoir at such a point as to be sealed by the liquid in said reservoir, preventing air from entering said line, said piston being biased toward its normal position and therefore returned to said normal position as soon as the rapid flow of liquid ceases, the whole providing an automatic liquid-flow-actuated fire alarm apparatus which is self-conditioning for further operation unless injured in the preceding operation. 7

3. An alarm actuator comprising a liquid reservoir having a rod guide spaced above its bottom, a vertical cylinder in alinement with said rod guide and secured to said bottom of said reservoir, said cylinder having an open upper end directly communicating with said reservoir and having a coupling portion at its lower end for connecting it with a liquid-containing tube, a bucket-type piston in said cylinder having its open end disposed upwardly, said piston being sufiiciently small to allow flow of liquid between itself and the cylinder wall and remaining at the lower end of the cylinder unless liquid rapidly enters said cylinder under said piston, and a vertical alarm-actuating rod passing slidably through the aforesaid rod guide, received loosely in said piston and resting upon the bottom of the latter, part of the assembly formed by said cylinder and piston having means preventing said piston from tightly seating against the lower end of the cylinder, preventing said piston from interfering with return of liquid from said cylinder to the tube.

4. An alarm actuator comprising a liquid reservoir having a rod guide spaced above its bottom, a vertical cylinder in alinement with said rod guide and secured to said bottom of said reservoir, said cylinder having an open upper end directly communicating with said reservoir and having a coupling portion at its lower end for connecting it with a liquid-containing tube, a bucket-type piston in said cylinder having its open end disposed upwardly, the bottom of said piston being provided in its upper side with a conical seat, said piston being sufllciently small to allow flow of liquid between itself and the cylinder wall and remaining at the lower end of the cylinder unless liquid rapidly enters said cylinder under said piston, a vertical alarmactuating rod passing slidably through the aforesaid rod guide and received loosely in said piston, the lower end of said rod being pointed and resting in said conical seat, the lower side of the piston bottom being provided with lugs normally resting upon the lower end of the cylinder to prevent said piston from tightly seating against said lower end of the cylinder and interfering with return of liquid from said cylinder to the aforementioned line.

ROMAN BLACE BUKOLT. 

